Cable giant Comcast has purchased a majority stake in NBC Universal for $13.75 billion, giving the nation’s largest cable TV operator control of the NBC network, including broadcast, internet, cable channels and a major movie studio.
This will change the media and entertainment landscape forever. It has the potential to speed the time from theater to other platforms. It also begs the question: How will this affect satetlite TV as cable’s leading competitor?
Does this give Comcast too much power?

Indeed, when the deal clears regulatory and other hurdles, Comcast would rival the heft of The Walt Disney Co. – this means Comcast CEO Brian Roberts can give up trying to buy Disney.

Comcast, who delivers cable to a quarter of all U.S. households that pay for TV gains control of the NBC broadcast network, the Spanish-language Telemundo and about two dozen cable channels, including USA, Syfy and The Weather Channel. It also gets internet media properties, regional sports networks, Universal Pictures and theme parks.

In agreeing to buy 51 percent of NBC Universal from General Electric Co. (GE), The company succeeds in combining distribution and content in a next generation way. They would be wise not to follow the Time-Warner model. Time Warner is undoing their cable and content combination. Time Warner has already jettisoned its cable TV operations.

Comcast made the deal because it is eager to be a much bigger player in media and entertainment while adding more breadth to its portfolio. The threats from online video and more aggressive competition from satellite and phone companies that offer subscription TV services was very real and scary to them.

For entertainment viewers, we are not sure what this means. There is no question that it will not slow down the fast paced movement to media and entertainment everywhere, anytime on any capable device.
Comcast will probably continue and expand letting subscribers watch cable TV shows online.

The problem we all worry about is that the consuming public could end up paying more for TV.
In the new Media and Entertainment world order Comcast, subscription-TV operators like DirecTV and Verizon Communications Inc.’s FiOS service would be negotiating with a direct rival on how much they pay to carry NBC Universal’s cable and broadcast channels. This can not be good for consumers. Fees are already creeping up. In some segments of our economy and unfortunately more and more, cable has simply become unaffordable.

The following blog entry is based on articles from the Financial Times, New York Times and research performed by Jacob R. Miles III, anext generation media and entertainment executive.

There have been discussions between Microsoft and News Corp about media company’s being paid to de-index news and information websites. In this particular discussion was about de-indexing Googgle’s news websites. This potentially sets the stage for a new battlefront for search engines and potentially new advantages for newspapers in the ever hanging news media content paradigm shift.

This effort is centered around media companies such as News Corp’s growing concern that the internet is reducing the value of their content to zero. Content that they pay educated and experienced journalist to generate. As a website publisher, I believe along with others that this effort has the potential to put higher values on content, if search engines are prepared to pay websites to index with them. The most meaningful positive impact should be the newspaper industry, which is desperately trying to develop a credibleinternet/digital content business model to replace their declining print based model. Lets be clear Google’s survival is not dependent on the results of these discussions, economically it is not a big part of how they generate revenue.

News Corp along with other publishers of newspapers have been exploring online payment models for its newspapers. The intensity of newspaper’s owners search for new revenue streams and journalist’s fight for compensation for their intellectual property will continue to grow. This announcement expands the discussions, I would like hear from media and entertainment professionals on what they think about these discussions and what do they think are some of the possible solutions.

For decades media companies producing newspapers, magazines, radio and broadcast stations have ruled the roast, they were putting up strong numbers in growth, revenue and profit margins! Profit margins routinely exceeded 30% justifying large head counts & aggressive expansion through acquisitions.

Today is a new day, a time for new rules in the media and entertainment industry. Yesterday media companies around the world are facing their own economic crisis. Newspapers are closing or cutting jobs at an unprecedented rate. Broadcast television and radio are loosing audiences at never experienced before rates. Magazines are in a constant state of flux and change as they try to preserve their audiences and decrease their production costs.

Fragmented audiences are at the core of yesterday’s media & entertainment company problems.

The growth of the internet and its next generation media companies are playing havoc with the ability of old line companies to project their sales and growth.

News, stories, photos, videos and graphics are the lifeline of the media and entertainment industry.

The integration of the internet is the future of the industry, however the current/historical infrastructure and management structure are not suited for where the internet is going…..and it is going there (next generation media and entertainment model) fast.

The playing field is changing, opportunities to influence and shape the future of the media and entertainment industry. This raises the question… Is it time for new rules in the media and entertainment industry?

We believe that next generation companies like GrapevineStar and many others have the right structure, resources and management structure for the internet especially those that are without the excessive debt carried by larger older companies.

The Media & Entertainment Pros Group would like to hear your professional opinions…. Is it time for new rules?

GrapevineStar Entertainment Inc. (GSE) is a Multi Media Merchandising company engaged in providing broadcast, cable and social media solutions to businesses. GSE is in the business of distributing, developing, managing, licensing and sales of intellectual properties. The company aiids businesses in their brand development and marketing. The company focuses on intellectual properties that can be integrated, monetized and leveraged via social media, mobile, television, Internet, books, toys, games and retailers.
It’s synergisticaly managed television and social media infrastructure, niche communities, products, services, intellectual property and social media based solutions go deeper than existing offerrings by providing deeper and more meaningful distribution and services to its users and customers.
The integration of TV, Social Media, Multi-platform distribution Proprietary intellectual properties, Consumer products, Proprietary Systems & Events are at the core of our service offerings.